These Are My Snow Covered Trees
by Reiji Neko Mitsukai
Summary: A turtle reminisces about the love of his life on a snowy December night.
1. Rooftop Reminiscing

Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Not yet, anyway.  
  
Author's note: I realize this idea's probably been done zillions of times before, but I decided to give it a try.  
  
* * * *  
  
Tiny flakes of frozen water fell from the clouds and onto the bustling streets of New York. People walked speedily along, hurrying to finish their Christmas shopping before the day came. If anyone would have taken the time to slow down and observe, they would have noticed a rather odd looking resident.  
  
He was wearing a rather large tan trench coat, with the collar pulled up and blocking the view of his face. He wore a tan fedora, also used to block the light from his face and to keep people from noticing his rather green complexion. If anyone would have looked closer, they would have caught sight of his green, two toed feet as he walked slowly along the street.  
  
He continued to walk until he reached a rather deserted street. There he paused in front of an old abandoned building. He craned his neck as he looked up at the top, the beam of a nearby streetlight striking his face. He inwardly sighed to himself, then walked into the nearby alley. He found the fire escape attached to the abandoned building and started climbing up.  
  
The wind was worse up on top. It flowed in the space between the collar of the coat and the rim of the fedora and bit his face. He paid it no mind. Reaching the top, he jumped up from the last stair, the movement freeing the ends of the blue mask that were trapped in the coat. They seemed to dance with joy on the wind, almost as if they were alive. The mood of their owner, however, was the opposite.  
  
Going the same pace he was on the streets, the fully-grown turtle approached the other side of the roof, the side facing the street he had come. Once there, he simply stood by the edge, watching the city below him. They were so ignorant, once he thought about it. They didn't know what it was like. To be a mutant.  
  
He reached inside his coat and pulled out a piece of paper.  
  
To be a mutant in love.  
  
He looked down at the paper. "Not a day goes by that I don't think of you..." he whispered softly. He looked back at the sparkling twilight known as the city. "We had everything together. Friends, family... each other..."  
  
It was amazing how one day could change everything. For the better, and for the worse. As Leonardo's mind traveled back, he unknowingly held the paper tighter. It all started when Master Splinter was going to die...  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: Well, what do you think? I think the end should help you review a little bit. 


	2. It Begins

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone who was ever in the show/comics.  
  
Author's note: This chapter should be a lot longer than the last one. I would also like to note that throughout this fic there will be little pieces of songs, usually a few from the same song per chapter. If anyone can name the song title and the name of who sings it, put it in your reviews. The first person to get it right will be announced in the next chapters.  
  
* * * *  
  
All four of the turtles were worried. And very upset. They were all gathered in Donatello's lab, facing the med table. Their eyes were darker than usual, even Michelangelo's.  
  
Lying upon the med table was the form of Master Splinter, his eyes closed and his breathing ragged. Underneath his regular clothing, a bandage was wrapped tightly around his midsection, a red stain still fresh.  
  
Leonardo, the eldest of the brothers, turned to Donatello. "How much longer can he last?" He sounded calmer than he looked.  
  
Donatello looked at a computer screen. "About 6 more hours," he said, facing his brother.  
  
Their sensei slowly breathed in, then coughed twice. His speech was rough and he had to pause to take in a breath. "Leonardo... take my hand... my son..."  
  
Leonardo did as he was told. His eyes were full of sorrow. "Yes, Master Splinter?"  
  
"Leonardo... should the sun rise and I am no longer with you... you must continue what I was unable to finish. You must..." A violent coughing fit started, racking the elder rat's body as he struggled to breathe.  
  
Leonardo, worried that his Sensei would be taken before his time, opened his mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Splinter when he recovered enough to talk.  
  
"Leonardo... you must continue to study ninjitsu... teach your brothers as you learn... I may die... but my legacy continues... in the four of you."  
  
Leonardo bowed his head, closing his eyes. "Yes Master Splinter."  
  
The other turtles followed, knowing that it very well could have been the last time their Sensei would ever speak again.  
  
Satisfied of the answer, he relaxed and let his head rest on the pillow. It was there he fell asleep, his slow and ragged breathing continuing.  
  
None of the other three turtles noticed the youngest slip out of the lab, heading up to the streets.  
  
~  
  
Up on a near rooftop, Michelangelo fought a loosing battle with tears. He sat with his legs underneath him, staring at the roof as thoughts ran through his head.  
  
'Master Splinter... You can't die on us! We're not ready yet... We haven't even finished our training...' Hot droplets of water escaped his eyes and fell onto the concrete below him, one and then another. 'You're the only thing we have as family...' Tears fell more rapidly as he sniffled. "Father... don't die..."  
  
A sudden noise startled him, making him jump up onto his feet. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand, then prepared himself. He focused on the shadows of the building, trying to see what had made the noise.  
  
There was no movement in the darkness.  
  
Suddenly...  
  
"Hey Mikey!"  
  
For the second time Michelangelo shot up, once again startled by a sudden noise. He turned to see Raphael walking up to him. Michelangelo put a hand over his heart, which was going a mile a minute. "Jeez Raph, are you trying to give me a premature heart attack?!"  
  
Raphael shot his brother an apologetic look. "Sorry Mikey. What are you doing up here, anyway?"  
  
Michelangelo gave his older brother an attempt of his "that's OK" look, then once again looked into the darkness around them. "I thought I heard something, like someone sneaking around or something."  
  
Raphael followed his brother's gaze, but didn't see or hear anything. He gave up and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "Come on, let's go."  
  
Both brothers turned to leave, Michelangelo glancing at the shadows over his shoulder before catching up to his brother.  
  
They were both silent for a few steps.  
  
"You going to be okay Mikey?" Raphael asked softly.  
  
Michelangelo sighed quietly. "I don't know, Raph. I just-"  
  
He never got to finish his answer, as both brothers stopped dead in their tracks. Both of their eyes narrowed. After a little bit, a whispered conversation started.  
  
"I'd say about a dozen of them. Maybe more. What about you, Mikey?" Raphael's hands almost began to twitch as they neared his Sais.  
  
"Definitely more. Piece of cake." Michelangelo's fingers brushed his nunchakus.  
  
"Ready?"  
  
"Yeah."  
  
Both brothers turned, weapons poised and ready. Just as they expected, there was over a dozen Foot soldiers, each ready to strike except one. He stood with one arm behind his back, the other holding up a vial of an almost neon blue liquid.  
  
"Looking for this?" he asked cruelly.  
  
"The antidote!" both brothers gasped.  
  
The Foot soldier lowered his hand, the barked out the order. "Attack!"  
  
All of the Foot soldiers leaped at once, moving in for the kill.  
  
~  
  
The battle lasted hardly a minute. With one swing of his nunchakus, Michelangelo took out three soldiers, while Raphael took out four of them. The soldier with the vial quickly realized the outcome and backed off near the ledge, leaving the others to fight. But soon he was left with the two turtles advancing, neither looking at all happy.  
  
He crouched into a fighting position. Raphael sprang at him, teeth bared. In a moment of panic, the remaining soldier tossed the vial into the air, just before he was struck down.  
  
The vial spun in midair, it's path upwards slowing. Both turtles below watched it, unknowingly holding their breaths. The vial reached the top of its arch, then started its way back to the ground. Raphael dropped his Sais and lunged for it, hitting the ground and sliding until his arms and head were hanging over the ledge of the building.  
  
The blue vial disappeared into the dark alley below, falling just beyond Raphael's reach.  
  
At first he could only stare at the spot where the vial had been just a moment before. He then let out a frustrated cry as he slammed his fists into the cement.  
  
Michelangelo sadly picked up the forgotten Sais and helped his brother to his feet. Their last chance of saving Master Splinter was hurtling towards the hard ground below. He hadn't heard it shatter yet, but he was pretty sure it was long gone.  
  
"Come on Raph. Let's go back to the sewers. There's nothing for us here now."  
  
Michelangelo's voice sounded so different. The pep and personality was gone. It sounded flat and, well, so un-Mikey.  
  
And it seriously pissed Raphael off.  
  
He inwardly berated himself for not catching the vial. For not striking the Foot soldier sooner. For the change in Mikey's voice. For the emotional pain he and his brothers will feel when their sensei passes away. For failing to save Master Splinter.  
  
He let out a final primal cry as he rammed his fist into the metal siding of the staircase leading to the roof. A large dent appeared in the metal where the impact occurred. He then continued his way to the fire escape, leaving his brother to look at the dent he left.  
  
As his brother climbed down the fire escape, Michelangelo was left staring at the dent caused by his brother. He had certainly seen other outbursts of anger, but he wished his brother wouldn't take it upon himself so hard.  
  
"It's not your fault, Raph," he whispered, seemingly to the wind. "It's really not. We all should have been more careful, then we wouldn't have been captured, and then Master Splinter wouldn't have had to fight to save our shells." He felt his heart sink lower. It really was his fault. He was cracking his usual jokes during the fight, which in turn distracted him and his brothers enough to get caught. Master Splinter showed up at the last possible second, bailing their fat out of the fire when they needed it the most.  
  
To be completely honest, it scared him to watch Master Splinter fight. He couldn't figure it out why, but watching his sensei knock a good amount of the Foot army to the ground made him want to be back at home, eating dinner and listening to another story from Master Splinter. It made him feel like he was five years old again, when he used to wake up screaming from nightmares of his family being taken away from him, leaving him all alone in a small, cold, dark room with evil creatures lurking in every shadow.  
  
"You coming Mikey?"  
  
Michelangelo turned to face his brother, who was waiting on the fire escape. "Yea, I'm comin'." Taking one last glance at the dent, he jogged over to the fire escape and followed his brother down.  
  
~  
  
It was now a few hours after Raphael and Michelangelo had returned. They had retold the events that lead to their return, which didn't help the overall mood any. All the turtles were near tears as they kept track of the time, knowing that their beloved Sensei had not much longer to live. After doing some calculating, Donatello announced that Splinter had until sunrise.  
  
None of the turtles dared to leave their master's side, in fear that he would pass away while they were gone. The sun was due to rise in two hours, and their sensei's time was short. The turtles were old enough to be on their own; a human at their age would be ready to move out of their parent's home. But they still needed his guidance to finish their training and they were still no match for Master Splinter's skill.  
  
All the turtles nearly jumped out of their shells when a loud noise resounded throughout the lair. The four brothers looked at each other quizzically, wondering where the noise was coming from. Almost a half a minute later, it came again.  
  
"What is that?" asked Raphael, tense.  
  
"Well, judging by how the sound reverberates throughout the lair, and the time between each set of sounds, I'd say someone's knocking on our door," Donatello said, looking towards where the sound was coming from.  
  
"Someone's knocking on our door?" asked Michelangelo, finding it a little hard to believe. "Who?"  
  
"Could be April, or Casey."  
  
One corner of Raphael's mouth twitched upwards as a smirk tried to surface. "Casey doesn't knock."  
  
"And April said she would be on vacation this week," countered Leonardo.  
  
The knocking continued, this time more persistent.  
  
"Well someone should answer it," said Michelangelo.  
  
"Leo can answer it," volunteered Donatello.  
  
"What?! Why me?!"  
  
"It's not that hard Leo," assured Raphael as he started pushing his older brother towards the door. "Just open it and if they're friendly, ask them what they want. If not, kick their butts."  
  
After being pushed out of the lab, Leonardo dejectedly made his way to the door. "Why can't Raph answer it? His legs aren't broken..." He continued to mumble to himself until he reached the door. There he prepared himself.  
  
What would he find? Casey grinning at him? April frightened from a Foot encounter? Or maybe the Foot itself, ready to swarm into the lair and kill everyone inside?  
  
As ridiculous as it sounded, Leonardo kept it on mind. They were vulnerable with the emotional state they were in, and with their sensei in his final hours, all Leo wanted was to spend as much time with him as possible.  
  
After taking in a breath, he opened the door enough to look out and see who was outside. His eyes nearly popped out of his head and his jaw almost hit the floor from shock. He found himself momentarily unable to breathe. He could only stare.  
  
She, for indeed it was a she; it was the first thing Leonardo noticed about the visitor; seemed to be about his age. She was covered from head to toe with black fur that seemed to absorb all light. Feline-style ears stood attentively on the top of her head, both aimed at the gaping turtle. A bushy black tail swished out from behind her, momentarily pausing in front of her legs, then swinging back behind her. Long, black straight hair flowed down to her back; strands of bangs that ended at nose level intruding in front of her amber eyes that seemed to pierce into Leonardo's soul. Her feline facial features showed no other emotion than seriousness, like Master Splinter when he meditated. She looked a bit like his sensei, with the same style of hands and legs. For clothing she wore a simple dark gray top, but looked more like a bra that was two sizes too small. Her dark gray skirt, which only went up to mid thigh, was slit up both sides. Her voice was flat, almost lacking emotion.  
  
"I believe two other members of your household were looking for this."  
  
She stretched out a closed hand towards Leonardo, her palm facing up. He cautiously looked at her, then waited for her to show him what she held. She slowly opened her hand and Leo almost gasped.  
  
The neon-blue vial of antidote lay in her hand, completely intact.  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: There. That chapter done. This fic is gonna get long, because I already have lots of ideas for what happens later. No song in this chapter, there might be one in the next. 


	3. Inner Thoughts

Disclaimer: I don't own anyone who was ever in the show/comics.  
  
Author's notes: No song in this chapter either. I think I'll save them for when the romance starts up. For now, enjoy the third chapter.  
  
As a side note, This: *~*~*~* means that it's switching from Leo thinking on the rooftop to the memory, or vice versa.  
  
* * * *  
  
The sky turned into a brilliant array of colors as the sun peeked over the horizon, throwing it's warming glow over the city. Bright shades of orange, yellow, and pink took over the midnight blue as the citizens of New York rose sleepily from their beds to go to work. They were all oblivious to the events that transpired the night before, or the tension that was now thick in the air of the lair that morning.  
  
Three of the turtles sat on the couch in front of the television while the other, Leonardo, leaned against the nearby wall. Nearly all of their attention was focused on the being standing closest to the doorway that lead to the sewers, her only escape should they decide they didn't like her. She was very nervous, and the turtles could tell. She inspected everything within her line of sight except the four members of the household.  
  
As soon as she had presented the vial to Leonardo, he quickly called in his brothers and she began to explain how she had come to have it in her possession. It ends up that she was in the alleyway when the fight broke out. She was alerted by the cries of the Foot soldiers as they were struck down. When the vial came hurtling down to the ground, she quickly made to catch it. Raphael couldn't see her because of the shadows, but she could see him. She learned that they lived in the sewers from Michelangelo when he was talking to Raphael. Once she had reached the sewers, it was only a matter of time before she found and followed their footprints, thus leading her to their lair.  
  
Now the tension was mounting as they waited for a sign of Master Splinter's recovery. All the turtles wanted to see if the antidote had worked, but none wanted to leave her alone in their lair. The attention of the turtles was divided between the female and the doorway to Donatello's lab. They were all having their doubts. Raphael was betting himself that she was sent by the Foot, and that the antidote was really a stronger poison to take their sensei's life faster. Leonardo was worried that they hadn't given Master Splinter the antidote soon enough, because it had been two hours and there was still no sign. Michelangelo worried that there was no antidote, and the stuff in the vial would have absolutely no effect. Donatello was considering that the vial with the antidote was switched, and he didn't want to think about what they could have given their sensei just over two hours ago.  
  
Their fretting was interrupted by the sound of something tapping against the hard floor. All five heads snapped around towards Donatello's lab, startled by the sudden noise. The three turtles on the couch could've sworn they heard their necks crick. But soon all thoughts of sore necks left their heads.  
  
There in the doorway to Donatello's lab stood Master Splinter, leaning heavily on his walking stick. The bandage was still wrapped around his midsection, but the red stain was turning a darker shade from the blood drying. His fur was still a little tangled from the fight. Two hours of waiting, and Splinter was awake, and very much alive. The antidote had worked.  
  
There were four blurs of green as three turtles launched themselves over the back of the couch, using one arm as a pole vault to get over. There was the sound of three bodies hitting the ground, but the impact wasn't enough to evade them from reaching their goal. Joined with their brother who was leaning against the wall, four relieved and joyous smiles appeared on their faces. They surrounded their sensei in a mass group hug, albeit a gentle one, each turtle getting their turn at giving their adoptive father a careful hug, which he gratefully returned with an equally relieved smile.  
  
"Master Splinter, you're alive!" Leonardo almost choked on the words as gently embraced his sensei.  
  
The female was temporarily forgotten, left leaning against the wall to watch the reunion. Her amber eyes watched them, full of questions. Her head was tilted at an almost exact forty-five degree angle, her ears perked forward as she listened intently. She was curious of the greeting the elder rat received. She had seen it before, while she was wandering around the streets.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
A woman was running franticly, stopping every once in a while to ask a person if they had seen her daughter, while she pulled at her red hair as she gave a short description. Each time she got a negative answer. She began to run again, stopping a few feet and turned to another woman on the street.  
  
"Excuse me, have you seen my daughter? She's about this tall," she held her hand out to show the height. "And has red hair. She was wearing a pink coat and yellow hat." Her eyes pleaded for a positive answer.  
  
The woman just looked at her and shook her head, then continued walking.  
  
Meanwhile, a few streets away:  
  
"Mommy..."  
  
The little girl was hopelessly lost. She now stood in an alleyway, scared and cold. Snow fell onto her long red hair, which was partially hidden with a yellow hat. She pulled her pink coat tighter around her, sniffling as tears streamed down her cheeks.  
  
"Mommy..."  
  
A voice suddenly came out of the darkness from deeper in the alley. It was quiet and sounded female. "This way..."  
  
The girl sniffled again. "I can't. There's bad people and they might get me."  
  
"Don't worry, no one will hurt you."  
  
She sniffled again. "Promise?"  
  
"I promise."  
  
"Okay..." The little girl sniffled again, then made her way deeper into the alley. Being a child, she was still quite afraid of the dark. That was the main reason she started to panic when she found a wall in front of her. Her breathing became faster and she started to whimper.  
  
"Down here..."  
  
The little girl snapped her head around to see another alleyway that joined with this one, and it led to the street. She quickly ran though the shadows, which was a good thing. She didn't notice the two men lying in the darkest corners, deep gashes running down their arms and torso. The garbage underneath them kept the blood from running out into the streetlight's beam that lit a small amount of the alleyway.  
  
The little girl ran out onto the sidewalk where she stopped and waited for further instructions. She still had no idea where the voice was coming from, but she was out of that dark alley.  
  
"Look to your right..."  
  
The girl did as she was told. Her eyes turned to the right and looked down the sidewalk. There was the woman, still running a few feet then asking about her daughter.  
  
"Mommy?"  
  
The woman seemed to hear the little girl's words, and turned to face forward. Her eyes focused on the little girl standing on the sidewalk.  
  
"Katie?"  
  
"MOMMY!" The little girl took off; tears once again pouring down her cheeks as a relieved smile came onto her features.  
  
"KATIE!" The woman also took off, shedding tears of her own.  
  
The woman fell to her knees as she collected her daughter in her arms, embracing her tightly. A mutant cat watched from the nearby rooftop, her head tipped at a forty-five degree angle in curiosity. She was glad that she had managed to get the girl back to her mother safely, but why did they greet each other in that manner? And why were they crying?  
  
*End Flashback*  
  
~  
  
The group hug broke up and now Master Splinter was seated in his favorite chair, surrounded by his sons. After the guys told their sensei how they retrieved the antidote, Master Splinter turned his attention to the female, who was still positioned close to the sewer exit.  
  
"Come, sit down," He motioned to a nearby couch.  
  
She cautiously made her way, keeping a fair distance from all of the turtles. She sat down on the couch, yet remained tense.  
  
"What is your name?"  
  
She stared blankly for a moment, thinking. 'My name? I can't even remember anything before the past five years. Well, maybe Master calls me by my name. Yeah, I'll just give them that.'  
  
"My name is Kijo."  
  
Master Splinter's whiskers twitched at the familiar word, but made no other movement to show it. "You are responsible for saving my life, Kijo. It is because of you I am able to spend another day alive with my sons. We are thankful and ever in your gratitude. If there is anyway we can help you, we will be happy to oblige."  
  
Kijo thought for a moment. "Well, there is one thing..."  
  
~  
  
The room was usually kept for when April stayed too late and felt too tired to go back home. Otherwise it was just there, right next to Leonardo's room. But it would have an occupant that night, because Kijo asked for a place to stay for the night.  
  
"And you can sleep here," said Leonardo as he showed her to the room.  
  
Kijo thanked him, but looked at him with her head tilted at forty-five degrees.  
  
Leonardo noticed and wondered if Michelangelo had put another "Kick Me" sign on his back again. "What?"  
  
She blinked. "What do you call the greeting you and your brothers gave your master when he recovered?"  
  
It was his turn to blink. Didn't she know a hug when she saw one? "We gave him a hug."  
  
"Why?"  
  
This bothered him. He didn't know why, but it did. "Well, he raised us as far back as any of us can remember. We love him like we would a father. He taught us everything we know about ninjitsu."  
  
Kijo began to think, trying to understand the explanation Leonardo was giving. This was all new to her, so she was having difficulties comprehending it all. "So, you hugged him because you love him?"  
  
The way she asked the question bothered him even more. It sounded like she had never heard of it before. His brow furrowed as he nodded. "Haven't you been hugged before?"  
  
She shook her head. "Not that I can remember."  
  
"Oh. I'll let you rest." Leonardo left the room, gnawing on his lower lip as he sat on the couch beside Master Splinter's chair.  
  
"Something disturbs you, my son," observed the elder sensei.  
  
Leonardo nodded, still gnawing. Splinter waited patently. Raphael, Donatello, and Michelangelo leaned in so they could hear better.  
  
"According to Kijo, she's never been hugged in her life. And by the way it sounds, she hasn't experienced love of any kind. Like it was completely new to her."  
  
This troubled Master Splinter greatly. Everyone experiences love in one way or another; an embrace from a parent, a pat on the back from a friend, even a playful punch on the arm that he has seen many humans do. Even when he was a rat, Splinter had experienced love. His master Yoshi took very good care of him, and a cute antic or a sign of playfulness from his pet brought a smile to Yoshi's face. There were even times when Yoshi talked to his pet, and this made Splinter feel loved. Now that Yoshi was gone, Splinter still felt love from his sons.  
  
How could have Kijo never experienced love? Did she have no family to return to? Her origin was still a mystery to them. Was she born the way she is? Or was she a mutant like them? If so, how long has she been like that? And who named her? She appeared to have a good heart, so why did they name her "She-devil"? It didn't seem like a good name for anyone. He will have to ask her in the morning. Then these many questions would be answered.  
  
*~*~*~*~*  
  
A small, sad smile came onto Leonardo's face as he remembered. She gave them all a good deal to think about. Master Splinter spent hours trying to decide how to handle the situation.  
  
'She was just so mysterious,' decided Leonardo as he sat down on the roof, the back of his coat sprawling onto the concrete. 'She came out of nowhere, saved Master Splinter, then left us all wondering.'  
  
A slow smile grew as he remembered what happened the next day. He didn't think he was ever that embarrassed before, even though his brothers weren't around.  
  
* * * *  
  
Author's note: This chapter is finally done. This fic is going to take forever. Well, we'll have to take it one chapter at a time anyway. Review with your thoughts and I might finish the next one faster than I did this one. 


End file.
